The new screenshots and pre-alpha gameplay trailer come from the single-player campaign, following a U.S. Marines squad "into the bad part of town." Apparently, in 2014 those chaps will be leading "pacification operations" along the border between Iraq and Iran.

Developed by DICE and published by EA, Battlefield 3 is slated to launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Pre-ordering will net you the "digital expansion pack" Back to Karkland, which features re-imaginings of classic Battlefield 2 multiplayer maps Wake Island, Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula.

The PC edition will feature 64-player multiplayer, while console editions support only up to 24. DICE has said that it's "focusing on PC first, and then we fiddle with it to fit it onto consoles."